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AORN Facts

About Us

AORN, Inc., represents the interests of more than 160,000 perioperative nurses and provides nursing education, standards, and services that enable optimal outcomes for patients undergoing operative and other invasive procedures. Our over 41,000 registered nurse members facilitate the management, teaching, and practice of perioperative nursing education, or are engaged in perioperative research. Our members also include perioperative nurses who work in related business and industry sectors.

AORN collaborates with professional and regulatory organizations, industry leaders, and other health care partners who support our mission. Our clinical and administrative staff serves on the committees and boards of approximately 30 professional associations to protect and improve safe perioperative practices.

Our History

AORN of New York has been credited as the founder of the national AORN. This group became the charter members of the Association of Operating Room Nurses, Inc. in 1954. The current name was adopted in 1999. Since our founding, the association has expanded to include more than 275 U.S. chapters and now makes its headquarters in Denver, Colorado. There are 16 specialty assemblies that offer a formal structure within AORN to facilitate national networking of AORN members interested in a subspecialty or interest area.

AORN Surgical Conference & Expo

Our annual national conference, AORN Surgical Conference & Expo (formerly AORN Congress), first presented in New York in 1954, is acknowledged as the largest gathering of perioperative professionals in the world and the largest surgical products trade show in the United States.